What is Strabismus?
Strabismus, often called “crossed eyes,” simply means eye misalignment. Strabismus may be horizontal (inward or outward) or vertical.
Some children have a large amount of crossing from very early infancy. Onset usually occurs before six months of age with no improvement after that age. This is called congenital esotropia. Early surgery is often required to make the eyes straight and to allow the brain to learn to use both eyes together.
More commonly the eyes are straight at birth, but then begin to cross at about age two or three. This crossing is often intermittent at first and usually occurs when a child is tired or attempting to focus on things up close. An examination will often show considerable farsightedness, and glasses will sometimes help straighten the eyes and reduce the crossing. Surgery will be needed if the eyes cross despite the use of glasses.
Vertical Strabismus is when an eye may drift upward either constantly or intermittently. Glasses do not help with this form of misalignment. Patching to make the weak eye stronger may improve control of misalignment, but will not eliminate it. If the misalignment is frequent when looking straight ahead, then eye muscle surgery may be needed.
Eye misalignment can occur in adults as well as children. Many adults with eye misalignment have had this since childhood. In some instances, the misalignment was never fixed, or the eyes drifted again after being treated early in childhood. In these cases, there is seldom an underlying medical cause. However, adults with new-onset eye misalignment require prompt further evaluation. Some causes of sudden onset in adults may be trauma, diabetes, thyroid disease, or neurologic conditions.
All of our doctors are trained to recognize strabismus. However, our doctors will often refer to one of our partners who is a sub-specialist trained to manage the more severe cases. Our sub-specialty trained doctor is Scott A. Davis, M.D.
Our modern, efficient facilities include four offices in Greenville, Simpsonville, and Easley. Each offers one-stop convenience for examinations, eyewear selection, purchase, and fittings.
